Leamington to Windsor transit service to end April 2026

Regional transit between Leamington and Windsor is set to come to an end next year. CTV Windsor’s Bob Bellacicco has the details.

A regional transit service running from Leamington to Windsor (LTW) will come to an end next spring following a vote from Leamington council Tuesday night.

The LTW service began in 2019 and is operated by Transit Windsor, stopping in Kingsville and Essex, before ending at St. Clair College.

A report from administration said the service was no longer sustainable for Leamington to operate on its own.

Three factors were cited including the expiry of provincial funding, county council rejecting a funding request, and escalating transit service costs, such as declining ridership and associated fare revenue.

Staff said the service was expected to see reduction in ridership of approximately 2,000 fares this year, from approximately 13,000 fares in 2024 (41 fares/day average) to approximately 11,000 fares in 2025 (35 fares/day average).

The three options

1. End the service on Dec. 31, 2025 when the contract expires
2. Enter into a four month contract with Transit Windsor at an estimated cost of $123,000, then discontinue the service on Apr. 30, 2026
3. End the service on Dec. 31, but begin negotiations to initiate a twice per day post-secondary school bus shuttle service from Leamington to St. Clair College, at an operating cost of $92 per hour

Coun. Paul Tiessen was against ending the service as soon as the contract expired.

“We do need to get the students at least until the end of the school year, we certainly owe them that,” said Tiessen.

Coun. Tim Wilkinson said regional transit should be embraced.

“Just because you aren’t necessarily affected doesn’t mean there isn’t value in it as a region, and for the low dollars that I’m seeing here, it’s disappointing to see how that vote shaped up at county council. That is disappointing. Short sighted if you ask me,” Wilkinson said.

Coun. Anthony Abraham said the service could not always be at the mercy of the councils of today and the future.

“I don’t know if we’re ready for a full regional transit, and when I say I don’t know if we’re ready, I just don’t think every municipality is on the same page,” Abraham said.

Council heard that both Kingsville and Essex contributed $20,000 towards the service when provincial funding ran out back in March, but staff had not yet approached them for future conversations.

Council opted for option two entering into a four month contract with Transit Windsor and ending the LTW route on Apr. 30, 2026.

The meeting was chaired by deputy mayor Larry Verbeke as mayor Hilda MacDonald was away.